Independent MNA-elect joins PTI in Mansehra

MANSEHRA: Saleh Mohammad Khan Swati, an independent candidate who had won a National Assembly seat from here, joined Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) on Friday.

Saleh announced the decision at a meeting with PTI Chairman Imran Khan at his Banigala residence in Islamabad in the presence of former chief minister Pervez Khattak and Senator Azam Khan Swati.

The PTI sources told reporters that he met Imran Khan and said he joined his party because he liked his vision of putting the country on way to prosperity. Saleh, who was backed by the PTI as an independent candidate in the July 25 general elections, was elected as MPA from Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz ticket in the 2013 general elections. Later he developed differences with his party leadership and confronted candidate of the latter Sardar Shahjehan Yousuf and defeated him with a close margin of 1500 votes.

Meanwhile, Ghulam Abbas, the returning officer of NA-13, ordered recounting of votes polled in the constituency, following a losing aspirant of Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz appealed to him, stating some votes had not been counted in the final list.

Sardar Shahjehan Yousuf, the candidate of PML-N, in his petition moved through his counsels stated that his rival independent candidate Saleh Mohammad Khan had secured 10,9282 votes against 10,7808 votes he obtained in the elections.

“I have a valid ground to move this honourable court as 7600 votes are excluded from the count,” he said in his petition moved through a panel of counsels on Friday. Abbas, after hearing counsels of both sides, announced recounting of votes from a daily basis from 10 am to 6 pm. Also in the day, supporters of Yousuf attempted to enter the court premises, but the law-enforcement agencies restricted them by barricading roads leading to courts premises. Later, they moved to Karakoram Highway and blocked it to all sort of traffic till evening, demanding an immediate start of the recounting process.